Developers are in high demand in the market today and the prospects don’t seem to be slowing down. Developer positions are typically the hardest to fill in any organization. Of course, if you are interested in taking up a career in programming the very first step is to determine which language you want to learn first.
A study by Indeed reveals the most in-demand language today to be Java with close to 3000 openings for every 1 million jobs postings. This is followed by C##, which has about 600 postings, then C++, JavaScript, and Python. Although 7th on the list, Ruby is also worthy of mention since it recently experienced an increase in demand and is among the fastest growing job searches online.
The fact is, there is indeed a paucity of tech talents in programming. But the motivation to become a developer should not be because it is currently on demand but passion. So if you are considering starting a career as programmers, here are 3 highly recommended languages to start with.
Python
Python is a widely used and highly accessible programming language with a very expansive development community. It has a broad range of applicability so if you are still unsure about the kind of developer you want to be then Python is a good language to start with.
Its application varies from use in data science to DevOps scripting as well as 3D rendering among other industrial or academic uses. As a programming language, Python makes it easier to work with more complex programming environments for both client-side programming and enterprise computing.
The main downside to Python is the fact that as an interpreted language it can be encounter performance issues especially when there is no understanding of how an interpreted code will be executed on the target platform.
Java
Making a decision to learn Java should be mainly because of its application. Basically what you would like to build will determine which language you have to learn. If you are interested in server-side programming then Java is the language to learn.
One major advantage of learning Java is the fact that as a compiled language, you can check of errors and fix is early on during development. this is in addition to the obvious fact that as mentioned, it is hot on demand.
JavaScript
In terms of practical applicability for web, mobile or desktop development, then JavaScript is the language to learn. It is also the most recommended if finding a job is a major motivation for you. It’s rare not to find a company that makes use of JavaScript for one purpose or the other since many of the major companies have to handle massive amounts of digital data. You can also find application for JavaScript in back end programming as well. However, just like Python, a major downside to learning JavaScript is that as an interpreted language, bad code will not be discovered until run time.
Tips for learning programming
For effectiveness, a three-pronged approach is recommended if you want to learn any programming language
- Start with individual training, take online and classroom courses or read books. This will help you to get the basics of syntax, operation as well as the environment setup for any language.
- The second approach is to find a project that motivates you. Basically, this should be something beyond your skill set which will motivate you to push yourself more and force you to learn all the primitives of the language and to also understand the execution flow and size of a language. In most cases working to creatively solve a problem, you care about is all the motivation you need to endure through the slower stages of programming.
- Get on Developer communities: there are numerous blogs and forums online where you can interact with others learning like you as well as experts in the field. There you will get to see how others have worked on similar problems to what you are working on and learn how they solved it. Having seasoned developers review your code is also a great way to learn.
